


Dreamscape

by CanineKitten



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Betaed, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Post-War, Sexual Content, Unintentional Cheating, intimacy issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:01:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26501797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanineKitten/pseuds/CanineKitten
Summary: Naruto returns to Konoha after a mission gone wrong and finds that not everything is the way he remembers it. Most notably, Sasuke is suddenly back from his travels and for some reason he is acting very strange...----Betaed by Heartsns
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 61
Kudos: 419





	1. Dream Big or Go Home

**Author's Note:**

> They're about twenty here, in case you were wondering

Naruto groaned as he woke up.

Where was he? 

He sat up and flinched as his head throbbed. It was dark around him, but he could tell that he was in a cave from the cold stone floor he was sitting on and the distant, echoing sound of water dripping.

He was starting to remember now… He’d been investigating this cave together with Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji. They’d thought it might be a secret hideaway for a group of missing nin.

“Shika?” he called out. Where were the others? “Ino?”

No one answered him. If only he could remember what had happened right before he’d passed out. He remembered a bright, blue light and then… nothing.

He should have a flashlight somewhere nearby. He searched the ground. The flashlight had landed on the ground right next to him, and thankfully it hadn’t been broken. He got to his feet and swiped the cone of light around the cave-room. It was surprisingly spacious.

His sweep only confirmed what he’d feared. He was alone.

Where were the others and why had they left him?

Had they been attacked?

He hurried out of the cave but no one was outside either. He ran through the forest towards the meeting place they had agreed on should they be separated. No one was there yet, so Naruto sat down to wait. He waited until evening. When the sun set he lit a fire and prepared for a long night.

By morning he had fallen asleep despite trying to keep awake, and was awakened by a bird that had perched itself on his head. It flew away once he stirred.

He was still alone.

He wondered what had happened to his team… There had been no signs of battle inside the cave. No blood or scorched stone or blown up things. It seemed like his teammates had simply… disappeared.

The only reasonable explanation was that they’d gone back to Konoha. Perhaps they had thought he had gone back too for some reason. Or perhaps they had thought he was dead…

He traveled fast, keeping up the tempo until it started darkening again. He rested for a bit, fell asleep again, and woke up at sunrise. That day he kept up an even higher tempo and arrived at Konoha before nightfall.

The guards at the gates greeted him with a bit of surprise.

“Have Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji returned?” Naruto asked.

The guards exchanged curious glances. “Uh, yeah…”

Letting out a breath of relief, Naruto finally relaxed. He still had no idea what was going on, but at least his team was safe. He needed to go and report to Kakashi, but he was starving… A quick stop at Ichiraku’s couldn’t hurt.

He was making his way through the afternoon rush when he heard an achingly familiar voice behind him.

“Naruto?”

Naruto turned. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. He hadn’t seen Sasuke for months and now he suddenly stood there right in front of him. Sasuke looked different, somehow. Calmer, more mature. 

“I thought you’d be gone for at least another week,” Sasuke said.

“Eh…” Naruto didn’t know what to say. Though they had exchanged messages while Sasuke was on his journeys, Sasuke hadn’t mentioned with a single word that he was coming back. But now he was suddenly right there, acting like nothing was strange about it.

“What’s wrong?” Sasuke said, frowning. “What happened to your hair?”

Naruto lifted a hand to his short hair. He was still getting used to it. “This? I just felt like some change.”

Sasuke looked thoughtful. “I liked it better before.”

“No one asked you, bastard,” Naruto huffed.

He looked at Sasuke’s hair, which was different too. His bangs were the same, but the rest of his hair was longer. He’d tied some of it up in a small bun at the back of his head. Naruto had to admit that he looked really good.

“I thought you liked the way your hair was,” Sasuke said. “And you knew I liked it too.”

What did that have to do with anything, Naruto wondered.

He didn’t like this new Sasuke. He was too… He wasn’t sure what the word for it was. He looked at Naruto in a jarringly open and honest way. Not at all with the ten-thousand guards up that he usually had.

It unsettled Naruto. Something was not right.

Sasuke sighed. “You should probably get some rest and take a bath. You don’t look that fresh.”

He turned and walked away. Naruto ran a few steps to catch up to him. “When did you turn into my mother?” he said.

“I wonder about that too,” Sasuke said darkly.

“I’ll take a shower when I feel like it. Anyway, I have to report to the hokage first.”

“Alright, I’ll get started on dinner.”

Naruto stopped and stared at the side of Sasuke’s face. Sasuke didn’t look at him to give him a sardonic smile like he was joking. He just kept walking.

Naruto let him go. He’d just ask Kakashi about what the heck was going on.

\-----

Kakashi looked surprised when he saw Naruto.

“You’re back early. And where’s your team?”

“I don’t know,” Naruto said. “We went into a cave and something weird happened. When I woke up, they were all gone.”

Kakashi looked up sharply. “They haven’t returned here yet.”

“What?!”

“They must either have regrouped somewhere and are looking for you, or they…” he trailed off. “Were you in a dangerous situation when you got separated from them?”

“No. And when I woke up, I found no signs of battle.”

Kakashi nodded. “I’ll dispatch a message and hope that Sakura and Sai get it. If anything, at least they should be informed that you returned safely.”

Naruto nodded. Then he frowned. “Wait… Why would you send the message to Sakura and Sai?”

Kakashi looked puzzled. “Because they were on your team.”

“Wait… No, no. I was on a team with Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru.”

Now Kakashi looked concerned. He stopped writing. “Are you serious now?”

“Of course I’m serious,” Naruto huffed. “Is your memory getting bad or something? Maybe you’re getting too old.”

Kakashi rubbed one finger over his chin. “Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru are here in Konoha. If you doubt me, you can go and see for yourself.”

Naruto felt a flicker of doubt. “But…”

“Naruto…” Kakashi said very carefully. “Did something happen on your mission? Did you get injured or, I don’t know, hit your head or something?”

Naruto thought about the strange blue light that he’d encountered in the cave, the feeling of being weightless, and then becoming unconscious.

“I might have encountered something strange…” he said. Then he told Kakashi about what had happened in the cave.

Kakashi remained quiet, his one visible eye fixed on Naruto the entire time.

When Naruto was done, Kakashi thought for a long moment.

“You should probably go home and get some rest,” he said. “If you’re not feeling better tomorrow, you should go to the hospital to get checked. I’ll send Sakura a message so that they know where you are.”

Naruto nodded. “Okay,” he muttered.

He left Kakashi’s office in a daze.

Was he going crazy? 

Maybe he really had hit his head in that cave.

His feet steered him to where he usually went when he was out of sorts; the fourth’s head. He sat down on the familiar smooth rock and watched the city bathed in the warm, orange light from the afternoon sun.

He couldn’t make sense out of anything… He knew that he’d been on the mission with Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji. Maybe there was more than just a small chunk of memory missing. Maybe several months had been knocked out of his head. 

He sat there for a while, so lost in his own thoughts that he almost jumped off the stone head when he heard someone land a few feet away from him. He relaxed a second later when he realized that it was Sasuke. Seeing him again was like a soothing balm to his confused mind.

Sasuke sat down really close to Naruto… and then he hit him on the head.

“I told you I was making dinner, so why are you sitting up here?”

Naruto held a protective hand over his head. “What are you…? Wait, you made dinner for me?!”

Sasuke’s glare was baleful. “Who else would I make it for?”

“I don’t know, for yourself?”

“I expect a bit more gratitude when I go through all the trouble of taking care of you,” Sasuke grumbled. “God knows it’s a fulltime job. What?”

Naruto was staring at the golden band on Sasuke’s ring finger. “You’re married?!”

Sasuke frowned. Then his gaze went to Naruto’s hand.

“When did this happen?” Naruto continued. “Why didn’t you tell me- Hey!”

Sasuke had grabbed Naruto’s left hand.

“Why aren’t you wearing yours?” he asked, sounding angry for some reason.

“My what?” Naruto said.

Sasuke stared at him with an intent, confused look. “Naruto…” He said slowly. “Do you not remember…?”

“Remember what?” Naruto said.

A strange expression crossed Sasuke’s face. “Nothing,” he said after a moment of hesitation. “You should go back home and get some rest. Do you remember where you live?”

Naruto frowned. “Of course I remember. Why would I forget that?”

“Because you’re clearly experiencing some sort of memory loss.” Sasuke stood. “I’ll just have a word with Kakashi.”

Though Naruto hated to admit it, Sasuke was right. He needed to get some rest. Maybe everything would make sense tomorrow.

\------

When Naruto arrived at his apartment, there were lights on inside. He guessed he’d just forgotten to turn them off. But when he tried to open the door, the key didn’t fit.

He stood there trying to work out what was going on when he heard music and voices from inside. Had someone moved into his apartment while he was away?! He knocked on the door.

The door opened and a young man glared at him. “What is it?”

Naruto was taken aback. “This is my apartment!”

The man frowned. “Yes, it was. Until you sold it to me.”

“W-what?!”

“Have you been drinking or something?” the man shook his head. “I have the contract as proof, with your signature on it.”

By this point Naruto was so bewildered that he became speechless. The man slammed the door in his face. Naruto stood there in shock for several moments. 

What was he supposed to do now?

He couldn’t go to Sakura because she was evidently on a mission. He thought about going to Sasuke, but he didn’t know where he lived.

He ended up walking the streets aimlessly as thoughts churned in his head.

It seemed like a lot of major things had happened in his life that he had no recollection of. 

First off, Sasuke was back and had apparently gotten married.

Secondly, what he remembered from his mission and his team didn’t coincide with what Kakashi said. 

Lastly, and definitely most disturbingly, he had sold his apartment. How was it possible to forget something like that? And why would he sell it?

He had difficulty believing that he was just suffering from a memory loss, but he didn’t know what else could be going on. It was virtually impossible for him to get caught in a genjutsu, and even so Kurama could confirm that was not the case. 

After having walked around in deep thought for a while, he looked up and realized he’d somehow ended up at the old Uchiha district. He wasn’t sure what had led him there. Something about Sasuke seemed to draw him in, no matter what. The district had been under construction for a while, so Naruto was surprised to see that one of the houses was rebuilt and that there were lights on inside.

Naruto hoped that was where Sasuke lived. It was his best bet now.

The brown one story house had a cozy yard full of flowers. A row of sunflowers was planted along the wall next to the door. Naruto had never thought of Sasuke as much of a flower person, but maybe he had been wrong.

He knocked on the door and pushed it open when no one answered. He entered into the genkan where shoes and slippers were lined up neatly.

“Hello?” he called out.

Sasuke appeared in the hallway. He leant against the doorway and crossed his arms. “You took your time.”

Naruto didn’t know what to say to that. He shrugged.

Sasuke sighed. “Come here,” he said, leading Naruto into the living room where the table was set. Naruto was so hungry that he didn’t ask any questions. He just accepted that, for some reason, Sasuke had made food for him and was expecting him. He was just grateful that he finally, after what seemed like an extremely long day, had the chance to eat his fill. The food was delicious and he probably ate more than he should.

After dinner, Sasuke told Naruto to take a bath, and since Naruto’s whole body felt sore from the long travels, he didn’t object. He sighed deeply as he sank into the hot water. Surprisingly, Sasuke happened to have the exact same orange scented soap that Naruto always used. He stayed in the bath until the water started cooling.

Suddenly the bathroom door opened and Sasuke came in.

Naruto yelped and tried to cover himself, but Sasuke didn’t seem to care.

“Are you done?” he said. “I need to take a shower.” 

“H-hey!” Naruto sputtered. “Give me some privacy!”

“You’ve been in here for half an hour. How much more privacy do you need?”

“At least let me get dressed!”

Sasuke frowned. “Fine,” he said and left.

Naruto hurried to towel himself dry and slipped into his muddy, dirty clothes. He didn’t know where to go from here. It had been nice of Sasuke to offer him dinner, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask if he could stay for the night.

He went to the genkan and sat down to put on his shoes.

“Where are you going?” Sasuke said from behind Naruto.

Naruto paused. “I’m just… uh… heading out.”

“So late?”

“Yeah…” Naruto looked over his shoulder. “Unless you want me to stay?”

The expression on Sasuke’s face softened. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

Naruto hadn’t expected that answer. He couldn’t take his eyes away from the softness in Sasuke’s eyes. “I… Okay, I’ll stay.”

Sasuke gave him a soft, genuine smile and then he kneeled in front of Naruto and started gently removing his shoes. Naruto found it hard to breathe. Sasuke was really very close, and when he had set Naruto’s shoes aside, he met Naruto’s eyes and moved even closer.

Naruto’s heart skipped a beat. Why was he… What…

Was… was Sasuke kissing him?

Naruto was too perplexed to respond. Sasuke pressed their lips more firmly together. His right hand ran up Naruto’s thigh, his thumb rubbing Naruto’s inner thigh.

Naruto jolted and drew in a sharp breath.

This… this was too good to be true. But Sasuke’s mouth against his felt so real. The soft, moist kisses, his warm breath… Naruto hesitantly placed one hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, then moved it to the back of his neck. His fingers threaded through soft locks of hair.

It felt so real. And so good… So incredibly good.

He tried to deepen the kiss. He wanted to feel Sasuke closer… Wanted more… He heard Sasuke gasp and then sigh as he molded closer to Naruto, opening his mouth to his tongue.

Naruto felt dizzy. He wanted so much, but the more he took the more desperately he longed for more. His hands roamed over Sasuke’s body: across his chest, down to his hips, then up to his jaw, pressing his palm to his cheek. He didn’t know what he wanted the most. He just wanted to know Sasuke, to feel all of him.

He started kissing his jaw and then his neck.

Sasuke arched his neck, panting softly.

Naruto broke away to catch his breath. “Is this real?” he murmured.

Sasuke chuckled. “Yeah, I’d think so.”

Naruto pressed his forehead to Sasuke’s shoulder. “I’m so confused…”

Sasuke ran his hand through Naruto’s hair. “Kakashi suspected you’d been hit over the head during your mission. You should rest and get your strength back.”

“No.” Naruto held Sasuke tighter. “What if you’re not here when I wake up?”

Sasuke kissed Naruto’s temple. “I’ll be here. I promise.”

They stood and Sasuke led Naruto to a bedroom with two futons laid out right next to each other.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” Sasuke said. He kissed Naruto’s cheek. “Just get comfortable. I’ll be back in a bit.”

When Sasuke left, Naruto just stood there in a daze. He touched his lips. He could still feel the tingle from when Sasuke’s lips had touched them. Had that really happened? Or was it all a product of this strange, new reality that he’d seemingly just stumbled into. A reality that felt familiar but kept surprising him at the most unexpected moments.

Whatever was happening, he didn’t mind it too much right now. Not when it involved Sasuke kissing him and touching him. If it was an elaborate genjutsu or a very lifelike dream, then he didn’t even care. 

Not a single bad thing could erase this kind of bliss.

He took the liberty of borrowing a clean t-shirt and some sweat pants from Sasuke, seeing as Sasuke probably would be more pissed about Naruto staining his sheets with his dirty clothes. 

He lay down on the futon closest to the window, and being as exhausted as he was, he fell asleep immediately.

\------

Naruto woke up blinking in the bright morning sunlight. For a moment he savored the dream he’d had. It had been so realistic. He could swear he still felt the touch of Sasuke’s lips on his own and the warmth of his hand against his skin. He buried his face in the pillow. Even his bed clothes smelled of Sasuke.

Wait...

He sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room.

The futon next to him was neatly made and the smell of food wafted in from the kitchen.

Naruto padded down the hallway and stopped in the kitchen doorway. Only when he saw Sasuke standing there by the kitchen counter did he accept that it hadn’t been a dream.

Sasuke was really there, and… he’d really kissed him. Sasuke looked up from the frying pan where he was cooking some bacon.

“Can you cut the bread?” he said as casually as though all this was a normal, every day occurrence.

Naruto hesitantly walked over and grabbed the knife and bread that had been laid out.

Sasuke leant over and kissed the back of Naruto’s neck as he passed him to grab two eggs.

Naruto faltered for a second before he hurried to continue what he was doing. His heart raced in his chest.

Sasuke cracked one of the eggs on the pan and parted the shell with one hand, not dropping a single piece of eggshell.

“You must have been tired last night,” Sasuke said. “You were already asleep when I went to bed.”

Naruto blushed.

Sasuke made it sound so domestic…

“Are you feeling better today?” Sasuke asked. “You’re unusually quiet.”

“Yeah. I’m just a bit tired…” 

They ate breakfast in comfortable silence. Naruto couldn’t take his eyes off Sasuke. Every time their gazes met, he looked away quickly, but two seconds later he was staring at Sasuke again. He couldn’t quite believe that he was really there… That he was sitting barely a few feet away, calmly eating breakfast.

“Is there something on my face?” Sasuke said.

Naruto was jolted out of his thoughts. “Huh?”

“You keep staring at me…”

“Oh… I… It’s just been so long since I saw you…”

Sasuke frowned. “It’s only been a few days.”

“…It has?”

“Your memory still hasn’t recovered, I take it?”

Naruto shrugged.

“Maybe you should go to the hospital for a check up,” Sasuke said.

“No, I’m fine.”

“... If you say so… I know it’s no point trying to force you.”

Sasuke stood and started clearing the table. Naruto helped him. It felt like he was moving through a dream. He half expected something strange to happen all of a sudden, as was the norm in dreams, but everything insisted on being oddly normal.

“I have some stuff to do,” Sasuke said. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Can you get started on lunch if you don’t have anything else to do today?”

“Yeah, sure,” Naruto said.

He was tempted to stop Sasuke from leaving. An irrational fear of losing him reared its head. Since everything that led up to this moment of domestic bliss had been so sporadic, Naruto feared that something just as sporadic could break them apart again. He followed Sasuke to the genkan and when he was about to put on his shoes, he grabbed him and kissed him. 

The kiss was too forceful and took Sasuke by surprise. He tried to pull away but when Naruto tuned down on the desperation and softened the kiss, Sasuke eased into it.

He pulled away far too soon.

“I have to go,” he said. “I’ll be late.”

“Don’t be away for too long,” Naruto said. “Come back as quick as you can.”

Sasuke hesitated for a moment. He caressed Naruto’s cheek and kissed him again, briefly and sweetly. “I will,” he said.

\-----

While Sasuke was away, Naruto walked restlessly around the house. Everything inside of him was in a confused jumble. All he knew was that, no matter what was going on, he didn’t want it to stop.

He had never articulated this particular desire to himself, had never dared to address it, but now that it was out in the open it was impossible to reign in.

He loved Sasuke.

He loved him so desperately that it was baffling to him that he hadn’t given in to it sooner.

Being alone in this house made him restless. He didn’t know what it was, but something nagged on his subconscious mind. Something was not right, and despite his desperate wish to tune it out, he couldn’t.

It was after his fourth restless round around the house that it occurred to him: for a house that belonged to Sasuke, there was an inordinate amount of orange everywhere. There were orange throw pillows, orange blankets, an orange mug with a frog on it, a few orange bowls, some plants on the windowsill in orange flowerpots. There was an orange jacket on the coat hanger, and now that Naruto thought about it, the bedding on the futon he’d slept on had been orange. 

Also, there were a couple of frog figurines on one of the bookshelves, and a surprisingly large stash of instant noodles in the cupboards.

It was an insane thought, but it seemed almost like… like he’d been here before. That he lived here, even. But how was that possible? Could he really have lost such a big chunk of his memory?

His gaze landed on a few pictures on the mantle. He had deliberately avoided looking at them, but now he was drawn to them as though an invisible string was pulling him along.

His hands shook as he picked up the biggest picture.

It was a wedding photo.

A wedding photo of him and Sasuke.

\------

By the time Sasuke came back, Naruto had managed to collect himself enough not to completely freak out anymore. He needed to handle this somewhat calmly. Apparently he’d gotten married to his best friend at some point, and there was no plausible reason for why he couldn’t remember such a huge event. 

No wonder Sasuke had been so exasperated with him. 

It was crazy, though… He and Sasuke… Married, living the domestic life. He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. But he loved it. He loved this life and it pained him that he couldn’t remember anything about it. 

He wished more than ever that he really had lost his memory, that this was his real life. He hoped that maybe talking to Sasuke would jog his memory. Maybe hearing their story from him would remind him of what was real.

Naruto was sitting on the porch in the garden behind the house when Sasuke returned. 

“I told you to get started on lunch,” Sasuke said, sounding exasperated. 

Now that Naruto thought about it, they definitely acted like they were married.

“Sorry,” Naruto said. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“What?” Sasuke said grumpily as he unloaded a couple of grocery bags.

“I just wondered…” Naruto looked over his shoulder so that he could face Sasuke. “How did we start dating?”

Sasuke stopped what he was doing and stared at Naruto in disbelief.

Naruto scratched his cheek. “I think you’re right. I must have had some sort of memory loss and now I’ve forgotten about us.”

The paper bag Sasuke had been holding dropped out of his hands. “You’ve… forgotten?”

“Yeah, I mean… about the being married part, and the… dating part.”

Sasuke came over to him and sat down next to him. “You really should go to the hospital…”

Naruto dodged Sasuke’s caring hand on his forehead. “No, I just want to know… I want you to tell me about us.”

“But Naruto…” There was desperation in Sasuke’s voice. “You could be injured.”

“I don’t feel injured.”

“…”

“Please, just trust me. Maybe something you say will jog my memory.”

Sasuke sighed. “Okay… We started dating because you confessed to me after our fight. I asked you why you wouldn’t let me be, and you answered that you couldn’t because you loved me. We started dating after my trial, and when I wanted to leave Konoha, you came with me. We traveled for about a year and when we returned to Konoha we got married.”

Naruto frowned. “That doesn’t add up.”

Sasuke looked concerned. “What are you talking about?”

“Something isn’t right.”

Naruto stood and started pacing back and forth. 

“The way I remember it, you left after the war and was gone for nearly two years. When you came back things weren’t the same anymore, and then you just left again. If I’m losing my memory, then why do I remember things differently from you?”

“I don’t know,” Sasuke said. “I don’t understand any of this. Ever since you came back from this last mission you’ve been acting weirdly… It’s almost like you’re a different person.”

Naruto frowned. “A different person…”

Everything had started going haywire after the cave. After he’d walked out of that cave, it was almost like he had stumbled into some sort of alternate reality. 

Wait… Could it be? It was almost too far-fetched to consider, but...

He thought about the blue light in the cave, the weightless feeling… his team missing… Or was _he_ the one missing?

He looked at Sasuke. The fact that he was here in Konoha, with a wedding band on his hand and a house that was filled with Naruto’s things, and a picture of them and memories of them that didn’t match Naruto’s… it was unfortunately too good to be true.

Sasuke stood. “Naruto… You need to calm down. We’ll figure this out, it’s okay.”

Naruto realized his hands were shaking. “I’m fine,” he said, pushing away Sasuke’s hand. “I just… I need some time… I need to be alone for a bit.”

He turned away and jumped over the fence surrounding the garden. Then he started running. 

\------

Naruto went to one of the outermost training grounds and found a quiet place at the top of a tree where he could sit and think undisturbed. There was a small amount of comfort in the fact that Konoha at least looked the way he remembered it.

He closed his eyes and went into his mindscape to talk to Kurama.

His appearance woke the fox from a deep slumber.

“Something weird is going on,” Naruto said. “Have you been sleeping all this time?”

Kurama yawned and stretched. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I decided to zone out after you got all cozy with that Uchiha brat.”

Naruto blushed. “Got any idea of what’s going on?”

“Hm… I have to admit that I’d expected at least a decade more of pining before you figured out what you felt for him, so I suppose that’s reason enough to suspect something’s not right.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Naruto sputtered.

Kurama sighed. “Never mind.”

“Everything is exactly like I remember it,” Naruto said hurriedly, “except for Sasuke and a few other, minor details. I thought I was losing my memory at first, or that I was going crazy, but what if this isn’t _my_ Konoha? What if this is some other reality where Sasuke and I got married? Is that possible?”

“Like a parallel reality? I’ve heard about that before.”

“Then, could the cave be the portal? Everything got weird after I passed out in that cave. If I go back there, maybe I can go back to my own reality.”

“I hope so,” Kurama said. “If this is a parallel reality, we can’t stay here for too long.”

Naruto hesitated. “Why not?”

“… You’re not planning to stay, are you?”

“Of course not… But it can’t hurt to stay for just another night.”

Kurama was quiet for a moment. “You know… There’s a Sasuke in your world too.”

“But he doesn’t like me this way…”

“How can you be sure?”

Naruto shrugged. “Of course he doesn’t. He would have stayed otherwise, wouldn’t he?”

He thought about what this world’s Sasuke had said… That it was Naruto who confessed, and that he traveled with Sasuke because he didn’t want to see him leave again.

“You should be careful not to further disrupt this world's course of events,” Kurama said. “You don’t belong here.”

“I know… I just need to see Sasuke one last time.”

“Kit…”

Naruto opened his eyes. It was getting late. He’d been gone for longer than he’d thought. He hurried back to Sasuke and hoped he hadn’t worried him unnecessarily after he left. The door was open so he let himself in.

“Sasuke?” he called.

“Here.”

Naruto followed Sasuke’s voice to the bathroom.

An apology for leaving so abruptly earlier was on the tip of his tongue, but it died away when he saw Sasuke. He was standing by the sink, his back to the door. He had a towel around his neck, but otherwise he was naked.

Naruto’s mouth suddenly felt very dry.

“I… uh…” Naruto stuttered.

Sasuke turned. Of course he did. He didn’t have any reason to be shy in front of Naruto, at least not to his knowledge. Naruto didn’t know where to look. He settled for a point above Sasuke’s left shoulder.

“I, er… I’m sorry I ran away earlier.”

“Did you figure out something?”

Naruto nodded. “I’ve got an idea of what’s going on, but…” He swallowed thickly. Sasuke was unhurriedly drying his hair with the towel around his neck. He was too distracting. Naruto turned away, pretending to be fascinated with anything else but Sasuke’s body.

“But what?” Sasuke said. He came over to Naruto and wrapped his arm around him from behind.

Naruto froze. His breath stuttered in his chest. He could feel the full length of Sasuke’s warm body pressed against his back.

He tried very hard to collect his thoughts.

“It’s just a suspicion so far. I need some more time to figure it out.”

Sasuke nuzzled the back of Naruto’s neck before brushing his lips over the same spot. He pulled down the neckline of Naruto’s t-shirt so that he could kiss the skin underneath.

Naruto was afraid he’d spontaneously combust from the heat that licked through his body. He wanted Sasuke with a need that was all consuming. He’d only meant to talk, but when Sasuke’s hand slid down his body to cup his rising erection, he lost the little self-control that he had.

He _needed_ this.

He turned around and was caught in a deep, hungry kiss. He nearly whimpered.

“Sasuke,” he gasped between kisses. He tried to keep up with Sasuke, but it was impossible. He had to relinquish control to him.

Sasuke’s hand was in Naruto’s hair one moment, and tugging on his t-shirt the next.

“It’s been too long,” Sasuke breathed. “Get this thing off.”

Naruto pulled the t-shirt over his head, but before he could get it fully off, Sasuke was already trailing kisses down his chest. He felt a little weak in the knees, but Sasuke wasn’t slowing down. He pulled down Naruto’s sweatpants and boxers in one go, his warm breath fanning over Naruto’s cockhead.

“Oh, fuck,” Naruto bit out.

There was no way he was surviving this. He was already at his limit, and now Sasuke was about to take his cock into his mouth?

“Wait!” he gasped. “W-we should… Bed. Please.”

Sasuke looked up at him and Naruto made the mistake of meeting his gaze. Bad decision. The sight of Sasuke down between his legs, looking up at him with those dark, beautiful eyes, lips slightly parted, was a fantasy he reserved for special occasions. Having it played out in real life was a special kind of torture. Wonderful torture, but still.

He didn’t want to accidentally come on Sasuke’s face from one single touch.

Thankfully, Sasuke stood.

He reached over to pick up a bottle from among the soaps and shampoos before he walked down the hallway to the bedroom. Naruto took a few deep, calming breaths before he followed him.

He hadn’t slept with anyone yet. This would be his first time. He and Hinata had dated for a few months, but they never got to that point before they broke up. Now Naruto realized why that might be. Hinata had wanted to, but he had been uncertain, holding it off for whatever reason. 

Now he knew the reason.

Even though he’d been incapable of admitting it to himself, his body always knew that the only one he wanted was Sasuke.

Sasuke turned to him once they were inside the bedroom and kissed him again. The kiss was slow and sensual this time. He pressed his entire body against Naruto’s, from his hard chest to his firm thighs.

Naruto automatically put his hands on Sasuke’s hips. The feeling of him, his strong yet lithe body between his hands, was indescribable. It felt… right, as though he already knew his body. He ran his hands up Sasuke’s sides, his thumbs sliding over the ridges of his ribs.

Sasuke sighed and rubbed against Naruto, putting pressure on both their erections. Naruto gasped against Sasuke’s temple.

“You’re sensitive,” Sasuke whispered. “How much do you actually remember about us?”

Naruto hesitated for a long moment before he said, “Nothing.”

“So this is the first time for you?”

Naruto nodded.

“I remember what that was like.” Sasuke sighed. “I wanted you inside of me tonight, but I guess that’s not happening.”

Naruto’s cock throbbed in longing. He wanted that too. He wanted to hold Sasuke’s slender hips with both hands and watch as he thrust into him.

He kissed Sasuke desperately.

“I want you,” he gasped.

He grabbed Sasuke’s ass, bringing him close.

Sasuke made a soft noise into Naruto’s mouth.

They ended up on the futon, Naruto between Sasuke’s legs. Sasuke fumbled with the bottle he’d brought from the bathroom while Naruto pressed kisses to every available part of his body.

“Hah… Naruto…” Sasuke gasped when Naruto’s lips brushed his nipples.

He reached down, his hand slick with lube, and carefully coated Naruto’s cock.

Naruto groaned. “Fuck… I can’t…”

Sasuke kissed his temple. “It’s okay,” he murmured.

He stroked Naruto again.

“Give me one of your hands,” he said.

Naruto reached out one hand and his fingers were coated in lube.

“Now put three fingers against my asshole.”

Naruto hesitated for a second before he did as Sasuke said. He found the puckered hole and put gentle pressure on it.

“You have to be more forward than that,” Sasuke said teasingly.

Naruto took the teasing as a challenge and immediately pressed harder. He was not prepared for the way Sasuke opened for him and sucked him in. It sent a tingling thrill through his entire body. He gasped as one single squeeze of Sasuke’s fingers just at that moment brought him over the edge.

“Don’t leave me hanging,” Sasuke growled into Naruto’s ear. He twined his lube-covered fingers into Naruto’s hair. “Fuck me.”

Naruto was barely able to catch his breath. He wished desperately that his cock wasn’t softening, that it wasn’t his fingers he was plunging into Sasuke, but soon he forgot about that as he saw how Sasuke reacted to his fingers.

“C-curl your fingers,” Sasuke gasped. “Ah!”

Naruto followed Sasuke’s instructions, fucking him hard and bringing moans out of him that almost had him hard again.

His arm was starting to tire when Sasuke finally came, his breath hitching and his fingers curling painfully hard in his hair.

When it was over, they both remained close to each other. Naruto grabbed the sheet from his half of the bed and covered both of them with it. Sasuke was already nearly asleep. He curled up against Naruto’s chest with a satisfied sigh.

Naruto closed his eyes and fell asleep to the sound of Sasuke’s calm, even breathing. 

\------

Naruto woke up with a feeling of deep content. Birds were singing outside the window and a soft breeze moved through the room. He stretched languidly and breathed in the faint smell of sex that still lingered on the sheets. 

The calmness lasted for only a moment before Naruto felt the cold touch of a steel blade against his throat. He remained very still.

“Who are you?” Sasuke said. His voice was as cold as it was calm.

Naruto let out a shivery breath. “You know who I am. I’m Naruto.”

“You look like Naruto,” Sasuke said. “You talk like him, you act like him… You feel like him. But if you’re him, then why did Kakashi get a message from Sakura this morning saying Naruto is there with them?”

Naruto felt a chill lance through his body, from the top of his head to the pit of his stomach. If he hadn’t been sure about the parallel reality theory before, he was now.

“I can explain,” he said hoarsely.

Sasuke nudged the sword, opening a small cut on Naruto’s skin. “Sit up.”

Naruto did so slowly, each movement measured and calm, until he was facing Sasuke.

The mask that Naruto knew so well was back on. Sasuke stared him down with narrowed eyes that belied no emotions.

“I can prove that I’m Naruto,” Naruto said. “If you’ll let me.”

Sasuke hesitated. Then he nodded.

Naruto drew on Kurama’s chakra, carefully so that Sasuke wouldn’t think it was an attack. The spiral seal appeared on his stomach.

“I’m the only one who can harbor the Kyuubi and use his chakra at will. You know that.”

But Sasuke didn’t let down his guard immediately. His eyes were assessing Naruto, looking for any kind of sign that the man was not his childhood friend.

“When was our first kiss?” he asked abruptly.

Naruto smiled. “It was when we were still in the academy. I was sitting on your desk, glaring at you, when someone bumped into me and I accidentally kissed you.”

He could see that this answer, more than anything else, was what convinced Sasuke. Finally he lowered his sword.

“Then is the other Naruto the imposter?”

Naruto shook his head. “It’s more complicated than that…”

“What do you mean?”

“This is gonna sound crazy, but I think I might come from a parallel reality. I ended up here by accident. Things are mostly the same where I come from, with only minor changes, so I didn’t understand what was going on at first...”

Sasuke studied Naruto with his usual quick intellect. “So that’s why you don’t remember anything about us. I guess we aren’t married in your reality.”

Naruto shook his head. “No.”

“Then why did you play along?” Sasuke frowned. “This means I’ve been cheating on my real husband the entire time.”

“At first I was just really confused, but when you kissed me… I wanted it to be real. I wanted to believe that I had just lost my memory so that I could be with you.”

Sasuke hesitated before saying, “Do you not get along with... the other me?”

“We get along tolerably, but I don’t see him much anymore. He doesn’t want to stay in Konoha.”

Sasuke kneeled next to the futon and put his sword down on the floor. “Did you tell him about your feelings for him?”

Naruto shook his head.

“Why not?”

“Because I was stupid and missed my chance… Either way, I’m not sure he feels the same way.”

Sasuke scooted closer and grabbed Naruto’s hand. “I’m sure he does.”

They sat there in silence for a while. Sasuke squeezed Naruto’s hand gently before he let go of it.

“I guess I better leave,” Naruto said. “I don’t want to cause more trouble.”

“Where will you go?”

“I’m gonna try to get back to my own reality. I think I have an idea of how to do it.”

“You mean the cave with the blue light?”

“Yeah… Wait… How did you know about that?”

“I talked to Kakashi. He wanted me to keep an eye on you.”

“Of course he did,” Naruto muttered.

“We’ll have to talk to him before you leave,” Sasuke said. 

Naruto sighed. “Okay.”

Sasuke left the room so that Naruto could get ready in private. Naruto lingered. He’d grown attached to this house even though he’d only been there for a few days. It felt more like home than any other place he’d ever been.

It would be tough to leave this house and Sasuke only to go back to his own empty apartment and a Sasuke whom he wasn’t sure he could fix things with.

When he came out of the bedroom, Sasuke was waiting for him in shinobi gear.

“Where are you headed?” Naruto said.

“I’m coming with you.”

“You don’t have to-“

“I need to make sure that you’re who you say you are.”

“And I’m guessing you also want the location of the cave?”

Sasuke shrugged. “It’s just a precaution.”

\-----

The talk with Kakashi was brief. He listened to what they had to say while he studied Naruto with an unreadable look, but in the end he trusted Sasuke and let them go.

It took them two days to reach the cave. The journey was conducted mostly in silence. They kept a certain distance to each other at all times, as though coming too close to each other could become potentially fatal. And maybe it could.

Naruto wanted nothing but to hold Sasuke again, but Sasuke was adamant about being faithful and Naruto understood and appreciated that. 

It was a bittersweet feeling to finally reach the cave. Naruto walked towards it, but stopped on the threshold of the chilling darkness and looked back.

“I’m not sure if I can go back to my world… I’m not even sure how I managed to come here in the first place.”

“I’ll wait here for a while,” Sasuke said. “In case it doesn’t work.”

Naruto still hesitated. “Can I…” He took a step towards Sasuke. “Can I get one last kiss?”

Sasuke hesitated for a moment before he walked up to Naruto. He touched Naruto’s cheek lightly and leant in to give him a quick peck.

“I’m sure you’ll figure things out with your Sasuke,” he said.

Naruto closed his eyes tight. “I’m not so sure…”

Sasuke cupped Naruto’s cheek in his palm. “Look at me.”

Naruto opened his eyes.

“There doesn’t exist a world where he doesn’t love you,” Sasuke said. “He just needs a push.”

Naruto pulled Sasuke into a hug.

He couldn’t look at Sasuke because it would just make it so much more difficult to leave, so he turned away quickly and hurried into the cold, earthy dampness of the cave before his resolve wavered again.

He walked into the darkness in a sort of daze. When it became too dark to see, he turned on his flashlight and continued deeper and deeper down into the winding tunnels. He had walked for so long that he thought he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere when he finally entered into a huge cave. The ceiling of the cave was glittering in all shades of blue, as though it was lit up from below. When Naruto walked closer, he saw that there was an underground lake in the middle of the cave. From afar it looked like a flat, black surface, but when he came closer he saw that in the depths of the water, something glimmered… A blue light.

He was drawn closer to the light until it felt like he fell headfirst into the water… He flailed but it was impossible to stop the fall, and then everything blacked out.

\------

When he regained consciousness again, he was lost and confused, unable to remember where he was. But slowly the memories came trickling back. He sat up abruptly when he remembered the parallel world. He needed to see if it had worked… if he had come back to his own world. He ran all the way back to the opening of the cave. 

It was evening outside and Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto was more upset about that than he’d expected.

He had wished so badly to see him again…

In the distance he saw the glow of a fire. He walked towards it, hoping beyond reason that maybe… maybe he was still there. What he found instead surprised him. Three familiar silhouettes were huddled around the fire. Ino saw him first. She shot up and cried out his name. Then she ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

Shikamaru and Chouji followed right behind her. Chouji nearly lifted Naruto off the ground.

“Where were you?” Ino said. “We looked everywhere for you.”

“I’ll explain later,” Naruto said.

“Of course,” Chouji said. “You need some food first!”

Naruto was grateful for the heat from the fire and the warm rations he was offered.

“Did you wait for me all this time?” he asked.

“It’s only been a day,” Ino said.

“What… Only a day?”

Ino and the two others exchanged puzzled looks. “How long did you think it had been?”

“I… I don’t know… It felt like much longer.”

“Where were you?”

“I’m not sure… First, can you tell me what happened after I passed out?”

“You passed out?” Ino said. “We didn’t know what had happened to you. We got separated inside the cave. It shouldn't be possible since there were few crossing tunnels, but one after another we lost sight of each other. Shika, Chouji and I ended up outside again but you never showed up.”

“When we went back inside to look, we always ended up going in circles,” Shikamaru said. “We decided to wait here until tomorrow before we went to see if you were at the meeting spot.”

“So you guys didn’t see the blue cave?”

Chouji shook his head.

“The blue cave?” Ino said. “No, we saw nothing like that.”

Naruto suddenly felt very tired. He didn’t want to talk about what he’d experienced. It felt like something personal and intimate, like it was something that had been shown him and him only for some reason.

In the daylight of the following day, his experience in the other world seemed almost like a dream. Had it really happened, or had he fantasized it all? By the time they reached Konoha, he had started thinking it was all an elaborate mirage. But when he came home to his quiet, empty apartment that evening, he found something in the pocket of his jacket.

A crumpled up note.

He straightened out the small piece of paper. Once he saw the handwriting his heart did a double take.

It was Sasuke’s writing.

The note was simple. It only consisted of two words _: Don’t forget_.

_Meanwhile, in an alternate world_

“Tadaima!” Naruto called out as he kicked off his shoes in the genkan.

There was no answer from inside the house. Huh. Sasuke must be out, though his shoes were standing in the hallway…

Naruto put on his slippers.

“Sasuke?”

He took off his weapons belt and his backpack and sighed in relief. It was good to finally be home. He looked into the kitchen, but it was empty. Then he checked the living room. Sasuke wasn’t there either. He finally found him in their bedroom, where he sat cross-legged on the bed, seemingly in deep thought.

“Hey, what’s up?” Naruto said.

Sasuke turned slowly. “I had a very strange experience.”

“Oh?” Naruto unwound his hair from the leather strap he used to tie it in. It had gotten a bit unruly during his mission. “What happened?”

“I met you,” Sasuke said. “Only, it wasn’t you but someone almost identical to you.”

Naruto frowned. “I didn’t send any clones.”

“I know. It wasn’t a clone.”

“So… It was someone posing as me?”

Sasuke slowly shook his head. “No. He had the Kyuubi, and he knew things about our past that only very few could know.”

Naruto was confused. “Then who was it?”

Sasuke shrugged. “It was you, just not…” He thought for a moment. “He came from some other time and place, where you and I never figured out our feelings for each other.”

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. If it weren’t for the strange note his team had gotten from Kakashi a few days ago, he would have wondered if Sasuke had gone crazy. But apparently, Kakashi had seen this other Naruto too.

“What did he want?”

“Nothing. He was just lost.”

“Oh… Okay… Well…” Naruto took off his dusty jacket. “If he didn’t do any harm then I guess it doesn’t matter. Did he leave again?”

“Yes. He went back to wherever he came from.”

Naruto grinned. “Good. It would have been freaky to meet my own doppelganger… Even though I see my own clones all the time, but a flesh and blood one would be weird…”

Sasuke was strangely quiet.

“So…” Naruto ran a hand through his own dusty hair. He really needed a bath… “Did anything else happen, or…?”

“I slept with him,” Sasuke said.

Naruto froze. “You… you did what?!”

“I thought he was you,” Sasuke bit out.

“But… but… Didn’t you think it was a bit weird that… I mean… Didn’t you say he came from a place where we hadn’t figured out what we felt for each other?”

“Let’s just say, he figured it out pretty quickly.”

“Okay, great… So while I was away, you slept with some other guy, thinking it was me?”

“It _was_ you!”

Naruto grumbled. Then, reluctantly, “What was it like?”

“It was exactly like our first time, minus the fighting.”

“Oh… So he came the second you touched him?”

“Basically.”

“That does sound like me.”

“I keep telling you.” Sasuke sighed. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you about it or not, but it just felt wrong to keep it from you.”

Naruto kneeled next to Sasuke. “I’m glad you told me, even though it sounds really absurd.”

Sasuke snorted. “Yeah, I know.”

Naruto chuckled. “Maybe you missed me so much you dreamt it all?”

“Idiot,” Sasuke said and shoved him.

“If it’s any consolation,” Naruto said, “I’d probably have done the same thing if someone who looked exactly like you came along.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

\------

During dinner the same day, Sasuke suddenly looked up from where he’d been sitting in deep thought.

“I keep wondering if that other Naruto found the Sasuke in his world and told him how he felt.”

“I hope so, for his sake,” Naruto said.

“I hope so too,” Sasuke said. “For that other Sasuke’s sake. I don’t like to think about what became of him without a stubborn Naruto by his side.” 

Naruto grinned. “I’m sure that other Naruto will chase him to the end of the world.” He slurped up the last of his ramen broth. “He definitely will after getting a taste of that sweet ass of yours.”

He barely dodged a chopstick aimed for his eye and cackled. “Ne, what about me Sasuke? You dole out freely to strangers but not to your own husband?”

Sasuke leapt over the table and attempted to strangle Naruto.

“We’ll never speak about this again,” Sasuke growled. “Is that understood?”

Naruto, red in the face and with tears spurting from his eyes, nodded.

When Sasuke finally let go of him, Naruto flipped them around so that he was on top of Sasuke. Then he kissed him deeply, pouring all his longing into the kiss.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Sasuke said when they finally broke apart.

Naruto shook his head. “No, it was an understandable mistake.”

“You’re not feeling even a little betrayed?”

“Do you want me to be?”

“No.” Sasuke caressed Naruto’s cheek. “I just feel stupid for falling for it. I should have guessed that something was wrong. All the signs were there, but he was so much like you. I couldn’t believe that he _wasn’t_ you. He even had that indefinable something; that energy inside that differentiates people. It was all yours. I would have been able to tell immediately if that hadn’t been there.”

“It’s okay, Sasuke,” Naruto said gently. “I won’t tease you about it anymore, okay? I’m just glad you told me about it.”

He kissed Sasuke.

“Just one more thing,” Naruto added. “Was he better than me in bed?”

Sasuke cupped Naruto’s cheeks and pulled him down for a long, deep kiss.

“Definitely not,” he said when they had to break apart to breathe.

Naruto grinned. “Then I’m satisfied.”


	2. Living the Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto seeks out Sasuke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see if these two can figure things out

Early the next morning, Naruto went straight to Kakashi and told him that he wanted to go on a longer journey for a while. Kakashi didn’t ask why he had this sudden urge to travel, but he had a knowing look in his eye.

He gave Naruto leave for a few months and Naruto left Konoha just a few hours later.

The first thing he did was to go to the town where he last knew that Sasuke had stayed. It had been several months since then, though, and unsurprisingly Sasuke wasn’t there anymore. From there on, Naruto asked around and managed to follow Sasuke’s trail to a small fishing village. The locals directed him to a small house at the outskirts of the town, up in the hills.

The small house looked completely abandoned at a distance, but Naruto wasn’t fooled. He knew Sasuke must have sensed him coming by now. He wouldn’t settle down somewhere without setting traps.

And surely, once Naruto reached the small, overgrown garden outside the house, he felt a presence behind him.

“What are you doing here?”

Sasuke’s voice was cool and collected, but Naruto thought he heard a hint of surprise. He turned slowly.

Sasuke was standing at the edge of the forest that surrounded the house, garbed all in black so that he nearly disappeared in the shadows. He took a few steps closer to Naruto, detaching himself from the darkness and appearing in front of Naruto even more breathtaking that Naruto remembered him.

For a long moment Naruto just stared.

This was the Sasuke he remembered. This was his Sasuke; cautious, reserved and suspicious.

“I need to talk to you about something,” Naruto blurted out.

Sasuke gave him a small nod to show he was listening.

Naruto hesitated. He realized he hadn’t thought about what to say.

“I… uh… I’m…” he twisted his hands. “Um, well… It’s…”

He was acutely aware of Sasuke’s curious gaze.

Naruto laughed and scratched the back of his head. “M-maybe we could talk over some food?”

Sasuke hesitated for a long moment, watching Naruto thoughtfully before he finally relaxed a bit. He lifted his hand where he was holding three dead fish that he had just caught.

“Help me collect some firewood,” he said.

Naruto was grateful to have something to busy himself with. The whole time he was looking for Sasuke, he’d only thought about finding him and seeing him again. After leaving that other Sasuke, his longing for his own Sasuke had only grown. But it was more difficult to put those feelings into words than he’d expected. 

While they were eating the fish that they had grilled, he started talking about his recent mission and the portal in the cave.

Sasuke listened quietly but attentively. The situation was so familiar to Naruto that he soon felt more at ease. The story became more elaborate.

Sasuke didn’t say much during it, except to express his disbelief when Naruto told him about how he’d met his other self.

“It was some sort of parallel world,” Naruto said excitedly. “Konoha was mostly just like I knew it. Kakashi was hokage, Sai and Sakura were there, and all the buildings were in the same places. The other Sasuke talked about the war and our fight so that must have happened there too.”

“But I was living in Konoha?”

Naruto nodded. This was his chance to explain how the other Naruto and Sasuke had professed their love for each other and had gotten married, but the words got stuck.

“You were… married,” he said haltingly.

Sasuke looked displeased. “To whom?”

Naruto tried to stop the blush that was creeping up his neck. He scratched the back of his head and chuckled. “Well…”

“It must have been some sort of genjutsu,” Sasuke said before Naruto could speak. “Why would I get married and stay in that place?”

He threw the stick with the carcass of the fish he’d eaten into the fire.

Naruto bit his lip. “You married me,” he said, his soft words nearly drowning in the crackle from the fire.

Sasuke stilled completely. Naruto wondered if he hadn’t heard what he said, but then he said tonelessly, “You?”

“Yeah… I know it sounds crazy, but…”

“Did you come all the way out here to tell me that in some alternate reality, we get married?”

Naruto lifted his head to meet Sasuke’s eyes. They were blazing with unsaid feelings.

Naruto shrugged. “It made me think…”

“Think?” Sasuke’s voice had an acerbic tone to it. “About what?”

Naruto shook his head. “I don’t know. Just… That other you, he said that I had confessed after our last fight, and that they travelled together for a while…”

“So you thought we could do the same?” Sasuke stood abruptly. “Is that it?”

“No!” Naruto said quickly. “I mean… I don’t know…”

Sasuke made a derisive sound and walked away. Naruto shot up and hurried after him. “Wait! I… Sasuke, I'm in love with you!”

Sasuke stopped abruptly.

“I realized that I'm in love with you,” Naruto said. “That’s why I came here. I wanted to see you again. I wanted to tell you how I felt.”

His heart was racing the entire time he spoke. All he could think was _don’t let him run away_.

“I thought I was just your friend,” Sasuke said after a long moment. “You said I was like a brother to you.”

“I said that what I felt for you must be like having a brother… I couldn’t actually know what that felt like.” He hesitated. “And maybe I felt that way about you at one point, but I don’t anymore. I don’t know when it changed but at some point it did.”

Sasuke’s shoulders slumped.

Naruto wondered if he should go over to him or let him be. He couldn’t choose so he just stood there.

“I need some time alone,” Sasuke said at last, his voice brittle. “Don’t follow me.”

He disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Naruto stayed put, letting him go.

\-----

Naruto waited by the campfire. Sasuke didn’t come back that night or the next morning, but all his belongings were still there so he must come back eventually… Right?

While Naruto waited, his thoughts kept churning. He wondered if the Sasuke in the other world had experienced the same things as his Sasuke, or if there had been minor differences that led to the other Sasuke settling down in Konoha despite everything… Or maybe there had been something between their parallel counterparts that he and Sasuke didn’t have?

He feared the answer to that question.

The day turned into night, and Sasuke still hadn’t come back. But Naruto wasn’t about to give up. He had come all the way out here for this. He would wait a lot longer if that was what it took.

That night, while Naruto was asleep, Sasuke returned. Naruto woke up immediately, but he remained motionless. He only opened his eyes a smidgen.

Sasuke stood for a moment at the edge of the light from the fire. Then he slowly walked closer and sat down next to the fire, looking into it with a deeply focused expression on his face, as though he hoped to find some answers inside the flames.

Slowly but surely, Naruto gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep again.

In the morning, Sasuke was gone again, but the fire was still burning so he couldn’t have left too long ago. Not long after, Sasuke returned from the river with two fish in his hands. He didn’t say anything as they prepared the food, nor while they ate.

Naruto didn’t know what to say so he stayed silent.

Eventually, Sasuke spoke.

“When are you going back to Konoha?” His voice was carefully collected.

“Um, I actually thought that… if it’s okay with you, I’d like to travel with you for a bit.”

He waited nervously for Sasuke’s answer. He was so prepared for rejection that when Sasuke said, “Okay,” Naruto was already about to open his mouth to beg. Instead he ended up gaping.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Sasuke said.

He stood and started putting out the fire.

“Really?” Naruto said, a grin forming on his face. “You mean it?”

“Just shut up about it, or I’ll change my mind,” Sasuke grumbled.

\-----

They travelled together for several weeks and slowly but surely they grew accustomed to each other again. Naruto realized that this was how Sasuke had always made him feel. Whenever they were together, everything felt right, even when things went wrong. They got into trouble but always managed to get out of it again, sometimes with a smile on their faces. When their eyes met at times like that, Naruto felt like he really could reach into Sasuke, that they could understand each other perfectly in a way that no others could. 

The moment was often fleeting, but as time passed it seemed that moments like that occurred more and more often.

It surprised Naruto when Sasuke one day touched him briefly while they were preparing dinner. It could have been a coincidence, but Naruto knew it wasn’t. Not with Sasuke. He never touched anyone unless it was strictly necessary and that brief brush of fingers over the back of Naruto’s hand definitely hadn’t been necessary.

It started occurring more often after that. Naruto started doing it too. Only a hand on Sasuke’s waist when he passed him, or a touch to the back of his hand just because he could.

The thrill of being allowed to do such a thing could keep Naruto going for the whole day. 

Then one day they were entering a village far north. It was cold and they were wearing cloaks, and as they stood close together, which was something they’d started doing recently, Naruto snuck his hand into Sasuke’s. And Sasuke, after a moment of hesitation, wrapped his fingers around it.

Naruto was grinning so widely that a passing man looked at him like he was crazy. They let go after only a few short moments, but for the rest of that day it was the only thing Naruto could think about.

They paid for a room at an inn that night, since it was too cold to sleep outside. The room was pleasantly warm and the bed was soft and snug. Naruto had almost forgotten what sleeping in a bed felt like.

The only problem was that it was a double bed. It had been the only available room since apparently there was a lot of traffic tonight.

“You don’t mind?” Naruto said.

“Do you?”

“No… I just…” he felt a little hot under the collar suddenly. “I…” he laughed nervously.

“Relax,” Sasuke said and started undressing. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”

Naruto blushed. He had seen it all before, literally speaking. But Sasuke didn’t know that because Naruto hadn’t told him that he’d slept with the Sasuke from the other reality. He wasn’t sure if now was such a good time to bring it up. 

They got under the blankets and for a while they just lay there looking at each other. Sasuke’s bottomless dark eyes were difficult to read in the sparse light.

“Do you want to…?” Naruto said at last.

Sasuke scooted closer. Naruto supposed that was a yes. He didn’t even know where to start, but he supposed a kiss would be the most natural thing to begin with.

He had longed for a kiss from Sasuke ever since he got back from the parallel reality. He reached over and placed one hand on Sasuke’s cheek. It was unexpectedly soft. He rubbed his thumb over Sasuke’s lips. Sasuke remained unresponsive, and when Naruto leaned closer, he turned away.

Naruto faltered. He thought Sasuke wanted this. Had he interpreted the situation so wrongly? But then Sasuke reached down and unceremoniously pressed his hand against Naruto’s cock, and his intent became perfectly clear.

Naruto drew in a sharp breath. 

Sasuke turned away and searched for something in his pack on the floor. When he turned back to Naruto he had a bottle and a small, square packet in his hand.

“Oh… wow…” Naruto said. “Um… You come prepared…”

“I always carry these.”

“… Does a lot of... situations require you to have them?”

Sasuke frowned. “When did you become my conscience?”

“No, it’s not that. I meant-“

“I know what you _meant_ and I don’t appreciate your judgment.”

“I wasn’t judging, I swear. I was just surprised.”

Sasuke scoffed. “Is it that shocking that I have a sex life?”

“No! I just assumed that you were like me.”

Sasuke faltered.

“This is my first time,” Naruto said. “Or, my proper first time.”

“Oh…”

“… I shouldn’t have assumed. What you do with your body is your choice.”

“…”

“So… Are you still into it, or…?”

Sasuke sighed. “I’m not that experienced. I’ve just done it a few times to see what it’s like.”

“And did you like it?”

“Not really.”

“… Oh.”

“It was okay. Not bad or anything. But I didn’t feel anything for them. This is different.”

Naruto grinned. He tried to kiss Sasuke, but Sasuke placed his hand over Naruto’s mouth.

“I can’t…” Sasuke said. “I need some time…”

“Sex before kissing?” Naruto said. “That’s unusual…”

“Just… let me do it my way this time.”

“This time,” Naruto muttered. “You make it sound like it’s an exception.”

“Can you _please_ do it for me?”

Naruto sighed. “Okay.”

Naruto had always imagined that his first time (with Sasuke… it had always been Sasuke) would be special. That it would be romantic and sensual, or at least passionate, like that time with the other Sasuke. But he realized that such a fantasy relied on one or both of the participants to have a good deal of experience. That was not the case with them.

Naruto could sense that Sasuke was nervous even though he tried to hide it, and Naruto, who had relied on the other Sasuke the last time, realized that he suddenly had a lot of responsibility and that made him nervous too.

The only thing they could agree on was that Sasuke should be underneath Naruto. It happened in a surprisingly natural way despite a bit of awkward shuffling. Once Naruto was on top of Sasuke, he felt a jolt of desire course through him. He was between Sasuke’s legs and they were both naked. His cock filled out quickly.

Sasuke didn’t meet Naruto’s gaze. He picked up the lube bottle and poked Naruto with it.

“You’ve got two hands,” he said when Naruto pouted.

“But I don’t know…”

“Just put it in my hand.”

Naruto sat up and took the bottle. He squeezed a small amount out into Sasuke’s hand.

“More,” Sasuke said.

Naruto did as instructed.

“Now close your eyes,” Sasuke said.

“Sasuke,” Naruto whined. “Why are you making this so difficult?”

“Just close your eyes.”

Naruto closed his eyes with an exasperated sigh. “So you basically just want me to not touch you and not look at you? Do you even know how sex works?”

“Stop being such a smartass. Lean over me.”

“Why?”

“I don’t trust you not to look.”

Naruto saw no reason in resisting. If it helped Sasuke relax, then it was necessary. At least he was going by the assumption that Sasuke did this out of necessity and not because he wanted to fuck with Naruto.

He leant over Sasuke, his eyes still closed. His other senses became more alert. His skin feeling the heat of Sasuke’s body, his ears tuning in on Sasuke’s soft breaths and the wet sounds his fingers made as he prepped himself.

He opened his eyes at one point because he couldn’t help himself and looked into Sasuke’s eyes. Sasuke was staring right at him, his cheeks flushed pink and his lips parted.

“Naruto!” Sasuke snapped, and Naruto closed his eyes immediately. He kept them closed this time, imagining Sasuke’s face the way he’d seen it, all soft with pleasure. 

“Stop making those stupid faces,” Sasuke huffed.

“What stupid faces?”

“You’re pursing your lips. You look like an idiot.”

“Is insulting me getting you off, or…?” Naruto grumbled.

“Maybe.”

Naruto could practically hear Sasuke’s small smirk. He huffed.

A few moments later Sasuke said in an uncharacteristically subdued tone, “I’m ready now.”

“Can I open my eyes?”

“… If you have to.”

Naruto opened his eyes. “What makes you think I don’t want to watch you?”

“It’s not about you. I just don’t like being watched during… that.”

“What about… what comes next?”

“Something tells me you’ll have more than enough with yourself.”

Naruto lowered himself down on top of Sasuke. “What gave you that impression?”

He felt Sasuke’s cock against his stomach, and for a moment he got a bit dizzy with desire.

“Just an educated guess,” Sasuke said with a smirk.

Naruto hated that he was right.

“Put this on,” Sasuke said and handed Naruto the condom. 

Naruto fumbled with the small packet and rolled the condom onto his cock, acutely aware of Sasuke’s eyes following his every move. He considered telling him not to look just to get back at him but found that he liked the attention too much. 

He positioned himself over Sasuke and Sasuke spread his legs to accommodate him. Naruto’s heart was already threatening to go into overdrive, but the way Sasuke became so pliable for him sent another dizzying wave of desire through his entire body. 

Naruto steadied his breathing and pressed the head of his cock against Sasuke’s puckered hole. He hadn’t expected it to slip in so easily, but just one push had him suddenly engulfed inside of Sasuke’s warm, tight heat.

He drew in a sharp breath.

Sasuke was completely quiet except for a quick intake of breath through his teeth.

“Does it hurt?” Naruto said.

“No,” Sasuke said thickly.

Naruto started moving.

“Slowly,” Sasuke said, grabbing Naruto’s upper arm.

“Like this?”

Sasuke sank back on the bed. His hand remained tight around Naruto’s bicep.

“Y-yeah,” he breathed. “Ah…”

Naruto closed his eyes briefly, begging for the strength he needed to hold back, just a little. He didn’t want to come first. He reached for Sasuke’s cock, but Sasuke caught his wrist.

“Just focus on yourself,” he bit out.

Naruto grimaced. “I… ah…”

He slid deeper into Sasuke with each careful thrust. It was too much. He felt everything so intensely. Sasuke’s heavy breathing, the tightness of him each time he pushed in, the incredible heat… He tried to hold out but he came with a garbled moan all too soon.

When he flopped down on the bed next to Sasuke, he half expected to get a teasing remark, but Sasuke just rolled over onto his side and snuggled closer to Naruto.

Naruto reached down to wrap his hand around Sasuke’s cock, but once again he was pushed away.

“It’s fine,” Sasuke said.

Naruto felt too drowsy to persist. The last thing he thought before he drifted off was that annoyingly, Sasuke had been right; he had completely forgotten to watch Sasuke’s face during it.

\-----

When Naruto woke up the next morning, Sasuke was already up, fresh from a shower and ready to leave. After Naruto took a quick shower and had a bite to eat they continued on their way. They were headed towards a mountain pass that would be a shortcut on their way home, but by midday they found themselves in the middle of a snowstorm and had to find shelter. They happened upon a small thick of trees that offered a bit of cover, but not much. At least they could somewhat see where they were going.

They looked for someplace that could give them shelter from the wind when Sasuke nudged Naruto and pointed towards something in the distance. It took a moment before Naruto noticed what he was pointing at. Something that looked like a house was sticking out of the snow a little ways ahead. When they made their way over, they saw that what must once have been a small village was nestled in the valley between the surrounding hillsides. Now the place was abandoned. Most of the ramshackle houses were partially or completely covered by the snow. They found one that was missing most of the west wall and took shelter inside. There was a fireplace inside, sheltered from the wind by a half-crumbled wall. They made a fire using some broken furniture that had been left behind and huddled close to it while they shared their rations.

Naruto snuck closer to Sasuke until their shoulders and thighs were touching. He hesitated for a moment before he reached out for Sasuke’s hand. He held it gingerly at first, afraid Sasuke would pull away. But Sasuke didn’t. Naruto twined their fingers together. He was constantly surprised that such small gestures could make his heart soar this way.

“Naruto,” Sasuke said after a while. “I need to eat.”

“Okay?”

“I only have this one hand. Thanks to you.”

Naruto gasped. “That was thanks to you!”

Sasuke chuckled.

“Hey,” Naruto said, “That’s the first time you’ve joked about that.”

He regretted saying it when immediately the smile vanished from Sasuke’s face.

Sasuke held Naruto’s hand more firmly. 

“I want you to know that I regret that… a lot. There are few things I wished I had done differently, except for that.”

Naruto placed his head on Sasuke’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”

Sasuke leaned his head against Naruto’s and nuzzled his hair. He pressed closer, his thumb rubbing the back of Naruto’s hand.

“Why are you so forgiving?” Sasuke whispered.

Naruto shrugged. “There’s always a reason why people become a certain way or do certain things, and often the reason is some deeply buried pain that is eating them up from inside. You shouldn’t beat yourself up about it. You didn’t do anything really bad. Not even when you…”

Naruto trailed off. He’d been about to say _when you were at your worst_.

“I tried to kill you,” Sasuke bit out. “I don’t care so much about that other shit. Most of those got what they deserved. But I can’t forgive myself for trying to kill you.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Naruto said. “I would never let you kill me.”

Sasuke made a choked sound. “So cocky,” he scoffed.

Sasuke leant heavily against Naruto, forcing him to straighten up so that Sasuke could press his face against Naruto’s neck. Naruto put his arms around Sasuke and cradled him to his chest.

“I don’t deserve you,” Sasuke murmured.

Naruto closed his eyes and pressed his face against Sasuke’s hair.

“Shut up,” he bit out. “You deserve to be loved.”

He had a ‘oh fuck’ moment when he realized he’d basically admitted that he loved Sasuke, but Sasuke didn’t shy away. Instead he held Naruto tighter.

They sat like that for a long while. The fire started dwindling, but neither of them wanted to move from their embrace to rekindle it.

Sasuke was the first one to draw back, and he did it only so that he could press a kiss to Naruto’s cheek. Naruto closed his eyes, trying his best to soak up the delicious tingly feeling Sasuke’s lips left on his skin.

Sasuke carded his fingers through Naruto’s hair and cupped the back of his head. Then he leant in and placed a chaste, closed lipped kiss on Naruto’s mouth. Naruto drew in a quick breath through his nose.

“I’ve never wanted to before,” Sasuke said softly.

“To kiss someone?”

“It’s… more intimate than sex.”

Naruto brushed his lips against Sasuke’s. “Then I’m glad you want to do it with me.”

Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto’s chest, pushing him slightly away.

“You can’t leave me after this,” he said seriously, his eyes boring into Naruto’s.

“I wasn’t planning to,” Naruto said.

“This isn’t a game to me. I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me. Is this really what you want?”

“Yes,” Naruto said. He didn’t even have to think about it. “It’s all I want.”

Sasuke scoffed. “Except for becoming hokage.”

Naruto hesitated. “I want that too… But I want you more.”

“You’d give up your dream for me?”

Naruto laughed. “I already gave up my dream for you.”

He touched Sasuke’s chin lightly, but Sasuke pulled away.

“Then why…” Sasuke said, but stopped himself.

Naruto thought about what the other Sasuke had said about the other Naruto confessing his feelings after their fight. He regretted missing his chance. He’d almost lost Sasuke because of it.

“I was stupid,” Naruto said. “I wasn’t honest with myself, or with you. I fell into the trap of complacency, forgetting what I was really fighting for. The dream of becoming hokage so that people can acknowledge me is a stupid, lonely child’s dream, but… I don’t know what else to do if I don’t have that.”

“I don’t want you to give up on your dream for me,” Sasuke said after a moment of hesitation. “I’m not… I don’t have a future. The only reason I’m here is because you wanted me here. It’s not like I care where I end up.”

Naruto suddenly realized how stupid he’d been. He had convinced Sasuke to join his forces, yet when Sasuke did he hadn’t taken care of him. He had been very busy for the last few years, but that wasn’t an excuse. Sasuke was his friend – no. He was more than a friend.

“Don’t say that,” Naruto said. “I know how much you despise being in Konoha. You were shocked when I told you that the other Sasuke lived there. You said you didn’t understand why he’d stay in that place.”

“Yes, and it’s true. But I think I understand him a little better now.” Sasuke looked at Naruto. “I’m willing to make sacrifices. For you. I’ll come back if you want me to.”

“Of course I want you to! But I don’t want you to be miserable.”

“Listen…” Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s hand. “I’ve been miserable this whole time. Though I enjoy solitude, it gets lonely after a while. Knowing that I have no home to come back to, no family or friends or… It… It would help to have somewhere I can call home again. My relationship to Konoha isn’t the best, but it’s where I grew up and it holds a lot of memories, not just bad ones. Maybe it’s about time I started picking up the pieces of what’s left of my heritage.”

Naruto gave Sasuke a wobbly smile as he tried to hold back his tears.

“I’d like to be someone you can come home to,” he said.

Sasuke wiped away a tear from Naruto’s cheek. “I think I’m supposed to be the one crying.”

“As if that’s ever happening,” Naruto sniffled.

Sasuke hugged Naruto. “I love you,” he said so softly that it was barely a whisper, but Naruto heard him clearly. He almost started crying again. Instead he buried his face against Sasuke’s shoulder, soaking in the heat and strength of his body.

“I love you too,” he murmured. “Always have, always will.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Sasuke said with an exasperated chuckle. His voice sounded a little thick and wobbly. Naruto smiled. He held Sasuke for a little longer until they both had managed to get their feelings back under control.

“Is it colder in here, or...?” Naruto said. Then he swore. The fire had almost burned out.

They threw more old furniture on the fire and Sasuke katoned it. Then they huddled close together and soaked up the heat and each other’s close presence in comfortable silence. 

\-----

Once they returned to Konoha, they started rebuilding the Uchiha district. Naruto had a very specific house in mind, and Sasuke didn’t object to his ideas. He seemed grateful that the planning was taken off his hands.

The house ended up looking slightly different than the one from the parallel reality, but that was fine. Naruto wanted to make it more theirs.

In the years that followed, Naruto regularly had to pinch himself to make sure that he was really awake and not dreaming it all. Just a few years ago he could never have imagined being this happy. It wasn’t even because life was suddenly so much easier, because he encountered the same problems as always; tough missions, the occasional hatred from people who didn’t like him despite all his heroic deeds, bad days, fights with Sasuke. But through it all he had their home, and he had Sasuke, even during the bad days, and it made life so much more endurable.

He could only imagine how Sasuke was feeling since he rarely talked about it, but he seemed happier and more at ease. He still took a few weeks off now and then and disappeared to who knew where, but he always returned and with time the need to get away seemed to diminish.

Also, the sex improved a lot after their first time. Sasuke had extreme intimacy issues and Naruto was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop, but somehow they made it work. They made it work really, really well. Naruto hadn’t thought he’d see the day when Sasuke lost his cool, but he did when they had sex and it was spectacular. 

After such a tough life, things finally seemed to look up for them. As they grew older, they fell into a comfortable routine. They surrounded themselves with the people that loved them and closed out the ones that didn’t. They managed to create a new life for themselves, built on a solid foundation, and they could finally say, without a doubt, that they were happy. 


End file.
